MOI wants to centralize adoption data

GETTING IT TOGETHER： The scattered nature of information on adopted children will be reformed so as to help children locate their biological parents if they choose

By Cody Yiu / STAFF REPORTER

Tue, Dec 21, 2004 - Page 4

The Children's Bureau under the Ministry of the Interior is planning to centralize information about adopted children next year to assist in the search for biological parents by adoptees.

Last week the ministry's regulations board passed a preliminary review of the proposed regulation on children and juvenile adoption information management and usage (兒童及少年收養資訊管理及使用辦法), which will employ a non-governmental children's welfare agency to be responsible for gathering and storing relevant information.

"Right now, information about adopted children is very scattered. Some pieces of information are with the courts, some are with registration offices and some are with regional governments," a bureau representative said yesterday.

The proposal to centralize information was initiated by the Child Welfare League Foundation, which provides adoption services.

"We came up with this proposition back in 1992. In the past, many overseas adoptees have gone through a lot of difficulties locating their biological parents in Taiwan later in life. Having all information centralized would make their search a lot easier," foundation executive director Alicia Wang (王育敏) said.

Wang said that an adoptee who wishes to locate his or her biological parents must first undergo a DNA matching before holding a press conference to publicize the search.

"It is very hard on these children to have to go through all this trouble, and it also uses up a lot of resources," Wang said.

Article 17 of the Children and Juveniles Welfare Law (兒童及少年福利法) stipulates that the central government is responsible for storing information such as the identity of a child's biological parents, adoptive parents and health records.

The bureau said that information centralization would commence by next October. The information management office is to be located in Sindian, Taipei County.

The bureau plans to outsource this project and interested agencies may participate in the bid held by the ministry.